"Moscow’s first aid emergency service that received a call at 15:30 was informed that a man had drowned in a pond located on the Spring Alley in Gorky Park. The ambulance crew which arrived at the scene confirmed that the man was dead," the source said.

The dead man turned out to be a former paratrooper who drowned as he was bathing in the pond.

The Russian Airborne Forces (paratroops) were founded on August 2, 1930. Paratroopers traditionally celebrate their holiday parading through public parks and bathing in the fountains. In Moscow, the events are held in Gorky Park.